


Dreaming of You

by sashawiremarryme



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Dream AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 00:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16074356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sashawiremarryme/pseuds/sashawiremarryme
Summary: The IPRE dreamt of each other a lot after they arrived in Faerun. It took them weeks to notice anything strange, how often do you remember dreams, after all? When they did notice, they assumed it was because this was their last world. In the past, it had seemed as though they would be spending eternity together. Now they knew their time together was limited, it seemed reasonable that they would be trying to hold onto each other, even in the depths of their subconscious. It wasn't until months later they found out the real reason why. In this world, if someone's thinking about you when you’re asleep, they appear in your dreams.





	Dreaming of You

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a few hundred words...

TAZ Dream AU

The IPRE dreamt of each other a lot after they arrived in Faerun. It took them weeks to notice anything strange, how often do you remember dreams, after all? When they did notice, they assumed it was because this was their last world. In the past, it had seemed as though they would be spending eternity together. Now they knew their time together was limited, it seemed reasonable that they would be trying to hold onto each other, even in the depths of their subconscious. It wasn't until months later they found out the real reason why. In this world, if someone's thinking about you when you’re asleep, they appear in your dreams.

Of course, they started teasing each other immediately after they found out.

“Taako, I noticed you were thinking about me last night, were you talking about how much better than you I am?”

“Barry, I know my ass is great but you have to stop thinking about when I'm trying to sleep.”

“Wow Lucrecia, I didn't realise you thought about me that much. Are you secretly in love with me? I wouldn't blame you if you were.”

“Were you thinking about my sweet moves again last night, Lup?”

“Dav, I don't know what the others told you that made you think of me last night, but it's not true!”

“For the last time, Magnus, I'm not teaching you how to talk to animals. Please stop thinking about it.”

“Merle, I don't know why you were thinking of me last night. Just, please, don't.”

Naturally for this group, the teasing turned to competition. The rest of the crew would brag about how often Magnus thought about them. The twins would argue over who Barry thought about the most. Everyone would wake up in fear when Merle appeared in their dreams, too afraid to ask what he'd been thinking about last night.

When Lup disappeared, their dreams were the only thing giving them hope. She was out there, they could find her.

After Lucretia erased their memories, their dreams felt lonely, they just couldn't explain why. After all, it wasn't like people didn't appear, but something felt off, something was missing.

 

Magnus dreamt of Steven and Julia. He liked those dreams, they made him feel less alone. Sometimes their dogs would join him, not often though. He wondered if they invaded the dreams of the animals they liked to chased. After the rebellion against Governor Kalen, he started to appear in his dreams. That was why he always blamed himself for what happened to Raven's Roost. He should have known something was going to happen, Kalen had appeared in Magnus’s dream every night for a month.

Merle dreamt of his family. They started off pleasant, he didn't know if he would go as far as describing them as ‘loving’, but they were pleasant. Quickly though, the version of his wife that appeared grew sour, then she stopped appearing in his dreams at all. He couldn't blame her, he suspected that he hadn't appeared in her dreams for years. His kids still loved him, he could tell that much. Even after he left, they still loved him. They were angry at him, confused, but they never stopped loving him. Even after he left, his wife didn't think of him much.

At first, Taako dreamt of static. Eventually, he worked out that there were different patches of static. Sometimes there was only one, other nights there were two, even three. But he never dreamt of people. Not until ‘Sizzle it up’. After he started to perform, the people who watched his shows, learnt his recipes, thought about him. Of course they did, he was a star. Sazed appeared a lot as well. He could tell he idolised him, over time, that awe turned to something else, something darker. It was only years later Taako understood how deep that resentment ran. His dreams become even more crowded after the disaster at Glamour Springs. People were searching for him, cursing his name. As time passed, his dreams quieted down, Sazed was still there, and the static was still there.

Davenport had long ago accepted the fact he only existed in the background. Most people he worked with seemed to forget he was there. He knew Lucretia thought of him though, most nights she was there, looking over him. He liked that. He could tell she wanted to protect him, and he could tell she felt guilty about… something. He always assumed she felt guilty over the most recent fallen reclaimer, the most recent in a long line of catastrophes. 

Barry hated his dreams. On one hand, they were the only time he could see Lup, on the other hand, he only knew who she was when he was in lich form. When he was a human, all he saw was static that reminded him of that mysterious coin. The one that told him who he was every time he woke up in a new body. He wondered if the static figures knew who he was too. He didn't need to sleep when he was a lich. He could, he was physically able to, but it was always a struggle. Every time he did he felt guilty, taking a break from his mission to bring his family back, just so he could see Lup. Lucretia was there some nights, he didn't know how he should feel about those nights.

Lup slept a lot to pass the time. It was the only variation she ever experienced in her accidental prison. After she disappeared, she dreamt of the others often. She could feel their worry, their concern. She knew they were looking for her. Until one day, when everyone except for Barry and Lucretia disappeared. She feared the worst, they were probably dead. Why else would she never cross their mind again?

Lucretia missed her family. Only three people appeared for her now: Barry, Lup, and Davenport. Barry was angry, he had a right to be, after everything she took from him. But she knew he was lonely, he hated what she'd done, but he still missed her, still loved her. She only felt love coming from Lup and Davenport, why wouldn't they love her? They didn't know what she'd done. 

Once they joined the Bureau of Balance, the boys started dreaming of each other, and of Lucretia.

 

Magnus was grateful, for too long his dreams had been empty, the only figures that appeared in his dreams since the destruction of his home in Raven’s Roost were those he had left behind, wondering where the hero who had saved them once before had disappeared to. Once he starting dreaming about his new companions he felt as though loneliness that had followed him for as long as he could remember had finally eased, just a little, but enough.

Merle used his dreams as proof that the others cared about him, despite their jokes that he was a dead weight. Every time they rolled their eyes because he failed to cast a spell, he reminded them that they had appeared in his dreams the night before. Usually, they would respond by telling him it was impossible to not be thinking about him as they fell asleep because his snores were loud enough to shake the room, but he knew they really did care, and that they were just hiding how much they really felt.

Taako saw Lucretia and Barry a lot. Once, he asked Lucretia how it was possible he was seeing Barry, how could a dead man be thinking of him? She mumbled something about moon magic and changed the topic. He was pretty sure she was lying but it was a better explanation than anything he could come up with. Taako liked to tease Lucretia about her appearances in his dreams, joking that she was his secret admirer and offering her an autograph every time it happened. He stopped doing that when she kept reacting badly. When he asked her if he was secretly in love with her, she froze and didn't say anything thing for several seconds, before excusing herself and leaving the room without responding to his question. Taako couldn't help but notice that only one static figure remained.

 

After the Day of Story and Song, the seven bird’s dreams were a lot less lonely. Everyone in the universe knew who they were. People would go to bed thinking about them, and what they did. Even years later, their dreams would be filled with children as parents told the story of their saviours. But as decades passed, those people faded. They didn’t notice, they were too busy noticing the other absences. 

First, it was Magnus. While the rest of the group were surprised he lasted as long as he did, Merle was amazed that Magnus was capable of dying at all. He had seen him lose so many hit points, taking hit after hit without being healed, he never thought something as mundane as old age would finally kill him. He knew that Kravitz had his work cut out for him. Taako wasn’t sad when Magnus died, his boyfriend had already told him about the surprise he had planned for Magnus years ago. He was annoyed at him for dying and making him and Merle the dos lonely boys again, but he knew he would be happier. He still missed the giant figure in his dreams. But he knew he could annoy Kravitz into letting him see him whenever he wanted so he wasn’t really gone. Part of Davenport was happy that he could live the rest of his life without worrying about Magnus invading his dreams to jump out from behind a bush and shout his name at him. The other part was said that he couldn’t prank him when he slept anymore. Barry didn’t know if he could say he was the last human remaining, did he even count as human anymore? That was the most upsetting part of his death, It’s difficult to mourn a person when you see them every few days at work. He seemed happier than he had in years. Lup helped Taako grieve at first, bringing her brother’s favourite foods to his house every day because he was too busy crying his eyes out for hours on end that he couldn’t cook for himself or Kravitz—then Kravitz told her he would stop pretending to cry immediately after she left and instead took the food to eat with Magnus and Julia in the Astral Plane. She stopped cooking for him after that. Lucretia hated it when he disappeared from her dreams, it reminded her of those long years she spent alone.

Next was Lucretia. The years she lost in Wonderland meant she didn’t last much longer than Magnus. At least she didn’t have to experience losing all of her friends again. Merle missed her, they had grown close during the Stolen Century, and again during their time at the Bureau of Balance. Taako missed her the most. He never forgave her for what she did when she was alive, and every night he would feel a fresh wave of guilt wash over him, originating from the space she used to occupy in his dream. He decided to forgive her when he saw her again after death. Davenport didn’t know how he felt about Lucretia. She had taken so much from him, she had taken his mind. But she was his friend, and she had spent decades trying to make it up to them. He was still happy he didn’t have to see her every night anymore. It had taken Barry a long time to forgive her, he lost a decade with his family, not knowing where they were, not knowing if they were alive or dead. Eventually, he had to admit that he had an eternity with his wife, and nearly that long with his brother. A decade without them was worth the millions of lives that been saved. He still wished that it had been their choice to make. Lup didn’t have to forgive her. As soon as she’d found out what she’d done, she’d understood. Hadn’t she made the same choice? Back in cycle 17. It didn’t matter what the cost was, they could never be the ones to pull the trigger for the end of the world.

Then it was Merle. Taako didn’t want to think about Merle’s death. He died in a greenhouse surrounded by plants. It was probably how he wanted to go, and Taako probably didn’t want to think about the circumstances of his death beyond that. Davenport missed him the most. Whenever Davenport dreamt of Merle, they were always playing games. They never spoke, but he still missed the company. Barry wished he hadn’t died. He’d been easier to avoid when he was alive. Now, he kept seeing him at work. But, he always had a new update about his kids for him, that was what Merle had hating most about dying, Barry was happy to make it a little easier. Lup wasn’t fooled by Taako’s grief this time. Just to spite him, she made sure to deliver homemade meals to Merle at least once a week. He had told her that Taako had visited a few times, and tried to take some of the food. Lup was proud when Merle told her that every time he tried it he would eat the remaining food he had in front of him.

Davenport was the next to go. That was when Taako stopped sleeping. Everyone was pleading with him, he wasn’t like the other elves, elves from their world had to sleep. It wasn’t enough. He couldn’t bear to see the sea of faces he didn’t know, and not see the only people he cared about. He could see Barry and Lup when he was awake, the extra few hours with them wasn’t worth the empty dreams. Barry tried to get him to see reason, but he couldn’t blame him—he had stopped sleeping since the day they lost Lucretia. Lup still did. After every death, she was reminded that Taako wouldn’t live forever. She wanted all the time she could get with him.

Eventually, Taako died as well. There had been a fight over who would escort Taako to the Astral Plane: his sister, his brother, or his husband. It ended up being Barry, not because he won the argument, but because Taako had tried to escape and Barry happened to be the one to find him first. The night Taako entered the Astral Plane was the night that Lup stopped dreaming.

**Author's Note:**

> I know that's not how liches work but you can't stop me!


End file.
